MOTIVATION

Concept of Motivation
Organization success depends on how well the employees perform. Motivation is an essential aspect
of HR utilization.
Human behavior is a series of activities. It is goal-directed. All behavior is in some way motivated.
Motivation is the result of characteristics. It makes employees act or behave in certain ways. It
activates willingness to work. It exerts greater effort. It encourages action.
A motive is a pressing need that drives people to seek satisfaction. Motivation is inducement to
perform better. It is the act of stimulating energizing people into action. It is willingness to exert
high level of efforts to achieve organizations goals and to satisfy individual needs. It is an inner
state that energizes, directs and sustains behavior toward goal achievement. It is drive and effort to
satisfy a need or goal. It results in highly energized employees with desire to success.
Motivation can be extrinsic which is externally induced. It can be intrinsic which is self-generated.
Financial incentive for a job well done is extrinsic. Sense of satisfaction for a job well done is
intrinsic. So is sense of achievement, pride and responsibility.
According to DeCenzo and Robbins:
Motivation is an individuals willingness to exert effort to achieve the organizations goals,
conditioned by this efforts ability to satisfy individual needs.
According to Fred Luthans
Motivation is a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that
activates behavior or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive.
According to Stephen P. Robbins:
Motivation is a process that accounts for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of
efforts toward attaining a goal.
Motivation is an important management tool to harmonize and achieve goals of individuals and
organizations. It induces people for higher productivity.

Nature of Motivation
Psychological concept: motivation is concerned with needs, desires, motives and drives. It is a
psychological concept.
Complex and unpredictable: motivation is complex it is difficult to predict due to individuals
differences. Motivation changes from person to person.
Concerned with individual: motivation is concerned with individual or groups. The total
individual is motivated, not the parts of individual.
Continuous process: motivation is a continuous process. Individuals have many needs. When one
need is satisfied, another emerges.
Pervasive: motivation is the task of all levels of managers. All managers need to motivate
subordinates for effective job performance and higher productivity.
Behavior- oriented: motivation leads to behavior or action to satisfy needs. It involves efforts to
achieve goals.
Positive or negative: motivation can be positive or negative. Positive motivation is based on
incentives and reward for better performance. Negative motivation is based on fear or punishment
for poor performance.

Extrinsic or intrinsic: motivation can be extrinsic if generated by external incentives. It can be

incentives. It can be intrinsic if self-generated.
Indicators of motivation and de-motivation
Indicators of motivation
Working willingly; greater efforts to perform tasks
Giving the best at work
Sense of belonging and pride in organization
Higher productivity
Indicators of de-motivation
Excessive employee turnover
Absenteeism
Indiscipline, frustration and unrest at workplace, low self esteem
Increasing rate of accidents
Low productivity, reward to non- performers
High waste of raw materials, poor standards

Model of Motivation
Needs, drives and incentives are the starting point of motivation. Motivation process can be
presented in a model
1. Unsatisfied needs and motives cause tension within the individual
2. Tension can be physical, psychological or sociological. It is necessary for motivation to occur.
3. Individual engages in behavior or action to satisfy needs and motives for tension reduction.
Alternatives are searched and choice is made.
Unsatisfied
Needs
Motives

Tension
Physical
Psychological
Sociological

Action to
Satisfy
Needs
Motives

Goal
accomplishment

Need Satisfied

Feedback:
Modification
of needs,
motives

4. Arrival at the goal satisfies the needs and motives. It can be through reward or punishment.
5. Depending on how well the goal is accomplished (feedback), the needs and motives are
modified.

Motivation variables
Three interacting variables affect motivation
Individual
Characteristics

Job
characteristics

Situational
Characteristics

Individual characteristics:
Every person has individual differences. They consist of differences in needs, drives a goal,
interests, attitudes and beliefs that individual brings to work situation.
Job characteristics: they consist of what the individual does in the work situation they can be:
Job design, consisting of:
Skill variety: use of a number of activities and skills.
Task identity: completion of a whole piece of work rather than part of the work.
Task significance: influence on the lives and work of other; interesting to the employee.
Autonomy: freedom and independence to make decisions; feeling of responsibility.
Feedback: about job performance and intrinsic rewards.
Situation characteristics:
They consist of characteristics in the work environment. They are reflected in the organizational
climate which refers to the quality of work environment in the perception of employees. The
components of organizational climate that affect motivation are
Mutuality of interests: both management and employees should have common interest in
improving performance
Climate of trust: the climate should foster attitude of warmth and support as well as faith and
reliance in employee capabilities. People orientation by management is needed.
Autonomy: employees should have freedom to make decision bout job related matters
Aggressiveness: employees should be aggressive to achieve result or goals. They should be
competitive rather than easy going.
Risk taking: tolerance and encouragement should be given to risk taking and experimentation by
employees.
Openness: the openness in communication should allow employees to freely express their ideas and
feelings.
Collaboration: employees should collaborate with each other to solve problems. They should
identify themselves. With the organization and have a feeling of belongingness to it. There should
be collaborative results orientation.
Group focus: the work activities should be grouped around teams. Team orientation should be
fostered.
Reward system: good performance should be recognized. Rewards should be based on
performance.
Leadership: the leadership style should fit the work situation. It can be autocratic, democratic or
free rein. It should be effective to manage change and conflicts.

Motivation and performance

Motivation makes employees act or behave in certain ways. It energizes employees to get desired
action to achieve goals. It is an inducement to perform better. It implies higher productivity.
Performance implies doing a job effectively and efficiently with a minimum degree of
employee created disruption. Such disruption can be turnover, absenteeism and accidents.
Effectiveness refers to goal accomplishment. Efficiency is cost- related input/output ratio. Higher
performance implies higher productivity.
Job performance is a function of employee ability and motivation. The equation is:

Job performance=Ability Motivation

The level of employee abilities influences job performance. Employees will not be able to
perform jobs unless they possess the required abilities. Employee abilities should be improved
through training and development for better performance. However, without motivation, ability is of
no use. Employee is not use abilities effectively without motivation. Job performance is thus the
result of the interactions between ability and motivation.
Ability

Motivation

Job
Performance

The link between motivation and performance is a positive one. Increased motivation results in
improved performance. However, improved performance also reinforces motivation resulting from
the sense of achievement.
The relationship of motivation and performance and performance is something of a Chicken and
egg situation. They influence each other and are influenced by each other.

Techniques of Employee Motivation

Motivation is the key to effective work performance. It is the act of energizing people to achieve
goals through higher productivity. Motivation is complex and individualized. Managers can use the
following techniques for employee motivation.

Participation

Money

Decision
Making
Management

Performancebased
Large enough

Quality of working life:

Job design
Simplification
Rotation
Enlargement
Enrichment

Motivation
Modified
work
schedules:
4 day week
Flex time
Job sharing

Management by
Objectives (MBO)
Joint goal setting
Performance based
Rewards
Feedback

Behavior
modification:
Reinforcement
Through rewards
Incentives
Praise
Promotion

(a) Participation:
Employee participation in management and decision making is an important motivation
technique.
Participation provides the feeling of belonging, recognition, acceptance,
accomplishment, and responsibility. Most people are motivated by being consulted on
actions affecting them. Participation fulfils the social and esteem needs of employees.
Employee participation in management through share ownership can also motivate.
Employees regard themselves as important stakeholders in the organization where they
work.
(b) Money:
Money is the reward for work. It serves as a carrot for motivation. It can be fixed salary
and wages, piecework payment or performance-based incentive.

Money is important for fulfilling physiological and safety needs. Money reduces tension
resulting from the lack of money. Monetary rewards act as positive incentive and reinforce
the motivated behavior.
To be an effective motivator, money payments should be linked to performance. They
should be large enough relative to a persons income. The value of rewards should be worth
the effort. If pay is contingent upon performance, it will motivate for higher level of efforts.
However money does not motivate intrinsically. It cannot motivate all people under all
circumstances. It provides short term motivation.

(c) Quality of work Life (QWL):

QWL is the quality of relationship between employees and the total working environment of
organization.
QWL is an important motivation technique. It integrates employee needs and well being with
improved productivity, higher job satisfaction, and greater involvement. It is concerned with overall
climate of work for better quality of work life.
Job design affects QWL. Techniques of job design can be:

Job simplification: Breaking down complicated tasks into simple smaller tasks. It leads to more
specialization. It does not motivate employees.
Job rotation: Allowing workers to move from one job to another. It also doesnt motivate
employees.
Job enlargement: it is horizontal expansion of job. It is enlarging scope of job by adding similar
tasks. It may motivate employee.
Job enrichment: it is making job challenging and meaningful. It does motivate employees.
Job enrichment is vertical expansion of job. It builds into jobs higher responsibilities, autonomy,
control and the sense of challenge and achievement. Job can be enriched by:
Variety in job to make them interesting. Assignment of complete work unit.
Freedom and control over job situation. Minimum controls.
Greater participation of subordinates. They set standards for performance.
Feeling of personal responsibilities for tasks. Employee accountability for performance.
Feedback on job performance results.
Matching people to jobs and recognition of individual difference motivates employees.
(d) Modified Work Schedules:
Modified work schedules can be used as a motivation technique. They include:
(a) Four day week: workers work 10 hours each day for four days. It provides more leisure time.
(b) Flex time: it is plan for allowing workers to select their workday schedules.
(c) Job sharing: two or more employees share the same job over a forty-hour week. It is useful for
part-time employees.
(d) Working from home: virtual offices facilitate working from home.
(e) Behavior Modification:
(OB Mod: Organizational Behavior Modification)
It uses positive reinforcement to motivate workers to engage in desired behaviors. The steps are:
a. Identify desired behavior to be reinforced.
b. Measure existing level of performance.
c. Identify existing consequences of performance.
d. Develop and administer an intervention strategy.
Performance- reward linkage is changed to make the desired performance more rewarding. Reward
can be in terms of incentives, praise, promotion, etc. They should be of value to employees.
Rules for using OB Mod. Technique are (Hammer, 1977)
a. Reward should be based on performance.
b. Management failure to respond can modify behavior.
c. Worker must know what they should do to get the desired reinforcement.
d. Make sure workers know what they are doing wrong.
e. Never punish in front of others.
f. Be fair at all times.

(f) Management By-Objectives (MBO):

MBO is used as a motivational technique for self control of performance. Superior and subordinate
jointly set time-bound goals. Each individuals major areas of responsibilities in terms of expected
results are defined rewards are linked to performance. Subordinates performance is evaluated in
terms of goals. Feedback is provided to subordinates.
There is no single best technique of motivation. The suitability of technique depends on
i. People to be motivated; their characteristics.
ii. Specific motivational problem
iii. Job being performed
iv. Constraint on managerial action
v. Work situation.

vi. Cost of motivation technique.